Proud of these fairycakes I baked for Dom to take to work with him on his last day! The cake sponge baked perfectly for once & I managed to ice them pretty neatly too, Dom said they didn't even last 5 minutes everyone demolished them so quickly!

Another food photo (sorry not sorry!) but I had the best breakfast the other morning so of course it had to be Instagrammed! Granola with Strawberries, Nutella bagels & fresh Orange juice, not the healthiest of choices but absolutely delicious!

How cute is this Bambi Tshirt!? I absolutely love it!

Tilly waiting for Dom to come out of the Estate Agents. Yesterday we handed back the keys to our very first flat, I got a little sad as the next few months are going to be difficult not living together as a family whilst we save up to buy rather than rent. I couldn't resist taking this quick photo of Tilly patiently waiting for her Daddy to come back outside though, she's so cute & would occasionally bark almost as though she was reminding him that she was still there!

This week has been a complete whirlwind to say the least, I've been to London, met FleurDeForce, baked 30 cupcakes at 1 in the morning, packed up our little flat & moved all the way back up North after living down South for the past 3 years. I'm finally tucked up in bed after a really long & stressful day (my beautiful mirror got smashed, a little teapot got broken & my books got covered in pink food dye - joys of moving!!) of unpacking & organising so I'm going to have an early night reading blog posts! Hope you've all had a less hectic week than me! (:

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few years you'll know that Moroccanoil is one of the most talked about products in the haircare industry. I first came across it when a hairdresser applied it after washing my hair, which intrigued me as I'd never heard of an oil being used on hair before. Keen to know more I questioned my hairdresser who briefly explained that she used it on my hair to help tame the frizziness & to leave it looking sleeker & feeling smoother.

Moroccanoil light is exactly the same product as the original Moroccanoil however it is just formulated to be more suitable for fine or fair coloured hair. My hair is neither of these, it's dark & very thick but the reason I prefer the light version is because my hair isn't weighed down by product as much. When straightening my hair after using Moroccanoil it would often feel heavy & make it harder for the heat to actually work through the residue left behind. I apply a 10p sized amount of oil into the palm of my hands & then spread it evenly through towel dried hair, mostly focusing on the very ends. It helps relieve the dead tips & repairs split ends by almost bonding them together again, it really makes a huge difference to the appearance of brittle hair strands. Even though my hair becomes silky soft & shiny it doesn't become difficult to work with & once I've styled it my hair appears to be in amazing condition. You'd expect an oil to leave your hair feeling greasy & even perhaps sticky after using it, yet Moroccanoil quickly absorbs into each hair strand & it's not apparent that an oil has been used at all. It provides a whole host of benefits including moisturising & conditioning, improves the elasticity & acts as a barrier towards harmful environmental stresses such as UV damage. I've also discovered this can be used on dry hair as a hair mask when your hair is in need of some extra TLC which I'll have to try out soon! The only downside to Moroccanoil Light is the price tag, at over £30 a bottle it's seems crazy for an oil but the first bottle I had lasted me well over a year which is how I justify it! It's definitely a luxury hair care item, but one that I couldn't live without, especially because it's so noticeable just how much my hair benefits from using it.

This purple & blue floral blouse caught my eye straight away, I spotted it hanging on one of the rails & instantly had loads of outfit ideas running through my head! I've been after some nice tops for ages, I feel like all I wear is stripey breton tops or plain jumpers & whilst there is nothing wrong with either of those I just needed something a bit prettier to wear! I can't wait to wear it with my Levi denim shorts for a casual Summer look but I also want to pair it with my pleater A-Line skirt for a more 'sophisticated' style - I don't do sophisticated but I have an outfit idea in my head which looks good so I hope it looks okay in reality too, haha!

Even though above I have literally just written that I seem to always wear jumpers, I ended up buying another! I've developed an obsessed with white clothing, (probably not a good idea when I have a dog but nevermind!), & this was in the sale for only £12. I tried it on in the fitting room & really liked the slouchy fit to it & it actually looked good with the floral shorts pictured below, although I'm sure I'd probably get a few funny looks for sporting a jumper & shorts combo!

How pretty are these floaty floral shorts! At first I thought omg cute but they will look awful on me, however I still tried them on & I'm so glad I did! After reading llymlrs style post I felt inspired to try something on that I wouldn't normally bother with in fear of it making me look silly.

All from Primark

Lets just take a moment to appreciate my bargain baby pink bag... £8! I'd seen a similar one in River Island for over £30 so when I spotted this little one in Primark I didn't even give it a second thought & I'm seriously regretting not picking up the mint coloured one now!

Somehow I've been on a bit of a shopping spree over the past few weeks, not sure what happened as it's pretty rare for me to splurge on quite a few things all at once! Considering I'm on a saving mission too it's not very good, but oh well I needed some pretty clothes to add to my Summer wardrobe. I managed to find some cute accessories in Primark too, it can be quite hit & miss in my opinion but I could have gone crazy on all the floral crowns, pastel handbags & doggy related items!

Throughout my teenager years I was always very lucky with my skin & rarely had any spots or breakouts however I've started to get quite oily skin around my T-Zone so when Escentual offered bloggers the opportunity to try out Eucerin's DermoPurifyer Cleanser I thought I would give it a go. Escentual were also kind enough to send a goodie bag filled with lots of samples from Eucerin & I'm loving both the Even Brighter Day & Night creams.

The cleanser is a clear gel consistency which lathers up in to a foam when you rub it into your skin. I tend to rub it in for a couple of minutes then rinse it away with a warm cloth. Surprisingly my skin isn't left feeling tight or dried out, something that I usually find after using foaming cleansers. Instead my skin feels soft & squeaky clean, it's a really refreshing feeling. It's gentle but still effective at removing dirt & oily residue left over from my makeup, I can see quite a difference in the level of oil around my nose area after using it. I have to say I noticed that my breakouts have been minimal over the last couple of weeks, I often get sore under the skin spots around my nose & chin but I only seem to have had the odd one recently. I think the packaging is rather clinical looking, however thats really the only fault I can find with this product & it's not really a major issue. Escentual currently have a 1/3 off French Pharmacy Brands, which means you can pick up this cleanser for only £6!

Liberty have the most beautiful flower arrangements outside their store, it makes me want to spend a crazy amount of money on fresh flowers!

I can't go to London without having a cupcake from Lola's!
Met this adorable Pug called Summer, if you know me you'll know that everytime I see a Pug I have to get a photo of it, the amount of random pug photos I have is enough to confirm I am certainly one crazy pug lady!

Salmon Carbonara at Vapiano's - delish!

Posing in Monki's fitting rooms, so glad I bought these pretty shorts!

Whenever I go to London I always find myself taking loads of photos but then never actually publishing them. Rather than them remaining in the depths of iPhoto I've picked out my favourites because some of them are just too pretty to be forgotten about! I also never really post photos of myself or anything about my days out, but I love reading about what other people get up to so I thought I'd throw in some mirror selfies & food pics too!

Yesterday morning Abi & I headed down to London for a day of shopping, general London exploring & to attend the Cosmo Superblogger Masterclass in the evening. The weather was absolutely beautiful in London, we mooched around Carnaby Street & Oxford Circus before heading to Vapiano's for some tasty Italian food. After lunch we got on the tube over to East London to visit a photography exhibition which was pretty cool & then we had a much needed rest in Giraffe for a cold drink! It was then time to go freshen up our makeup before travelling to Pimlico to find the venue for the event.

When we arrived we were greeted with a glass of Champagne or fresh orange juice, I couldn't say no to a free glass of bubbly which went down a treat after travelling on the tube during rush hour! There was a huge amount of bloggers at the event, I'm just sorry I didn't have the confidence to go & introduce myself to anyone, silly shyness overcoming me as usual!

The tips, tricks & advice I gained from the event is invaluable, I learnt so much & I didn't stop typing away on my iPhone all evening! I've got a note as long as my arm saved on my phone now filled with useful websites, quotes to keep me motivated & even some techy info. It was really inspiring to hear bloggers Fleur & Kat talk about their blog, you could tell how passionate they were & it's really given me the motivation to continue blogging. It was also great to hear from a brand about how they work with bloggers, what they look for & advice on how to approach a brand. Approaching a brand isn't something I've ever done before but it was useful to be given suggestions on how to go about it in the future! One of the most important things was to tailor your approach specifically to that brand & really consider what it is you would like to work on with them.

"Never feel like it's too late to get involved with blogging - there is always room for new people & if you show your passion by developing great content you will gain readership naturally"

"It's important to build up a good presence on all forms of social media, focusing on your blog is great but a huge amount of readers doesn't always reflect good blog stats - brands love to see you working with them via Instagram/Twitter as they are 'here & now' whereas a blog post can take a while to create!"

"Be consistent, be persistent & be yourself"

"Keep a notebook to see how far you've progressed. It's important to celebrate every little milestone!"

I managed to say a quick hello to Fleur which felt so surreal. It was weird seeing someone in real life after I've watched her on YouTube for years. She was so so lovely & it was really nice of her to stay behind chatting to us all!

When I popped into Lush a few weeks ago for some treats I asked a member of staff for some recommendations as it can sometimes feel a little bit overwhelming trying to pick out new things to try from Lush. I knew I wanted some bath products as I was running low & I wanted to buy something I hadn't used before. I was drawn to Fizzbanger because of its scent, a fresh citrus apple kinda smell which I thought would be nice for a Summer evening bath. I don't like baths when it's warm but I get really achey so a bathbomb that smelt of Summer seemed perfect for when I need to soak my muscles & relax! Fizzbanger is absolutely crammed full of popping candy so when you drop it into your bath it goes off like a firework, which is pretty cool! As it is fizzing around & crackling it turns your bath a colourful mixture of yellow, blue & greens & spouts out a few bubbles too! The ingredient petitgrain used in this bath bomb is said to relieve anxiety too so if you're feeling stressed this will help you calm down. It's not the most exciting bath bomb to look at, a big yellow ball but I often find some of the more "boring" looking ones end up producing the nicest baths!

I've been reading blogs for years now & I'm still discovering new favourites all the time, via Twitter blogger chats, BlogLovin', Facebook groups, word of mouth & even in magazines! The blogosphere is huge & I think it's about time us bloggers started to collaborate more often, y'know share the love & show your appreciation to fellow bloggers!

A Little Boat Sailing - I recently found Amy's blog when she guest posted on Kayleigh's & was instantly intrigued to read more of her posts. I found my self scrolling through many pages of her blog, her photography is lovely & her posts are really well written. I'm looking forward to reading more!

Carrie Brighton - I love Carrie's blog so so much. Her blog design is so simple but I really like how clean & professional it looks. My favourite posts of hers are "Bits and Pieces" ones, she lays out outfits/ accessories/products in these posts & has recently started doing them by colour which I love seeing.

Cider With Rosie - I remember Rosie's blog in the early days & absolutely loving her style of writing & lifestyle posts, fast forward two years & I'm still here reading each & every post! I really enjoy reading her "10 things that've made me happy this week" posts, it's such a nice way of remembering the small things that happen during our week which can so easily be forgotten! Rosie has started posting more YouTube videos now too, she's really good at vlogging her weekends - I had a go & it was a huge fail!

Kemples - Abi is one of my "real life blogging friends" that I've known for over 3 years now. We recently started collaborating on our blogs, just like YouTubers do in their videos only this is via blog posts obviously! We thought it would be a good way to share our audiences & are planning lots more collabs! We are also going to a blogging event together next week in London which we are super excited about!

Mimi Charlotta - Mimi is another of my "real life blogging friends" she is one of my best friends from uni & has only recently started blogging but so far so good! Her posts are really in depth & detailed, providing literally everything you could possibly want to know. She also has really cute doggies, one of which Tilly has had a puppy play date with, so if you're a dog lover like me you'll love Mimi's blog!

Makeup brushes quickly became my favourite beauty product to buy after first trying the Real Techniques Core Collection. I became addicted to the way they made my makeup apply so easily & have continued adding RT brushes to my collection. When I was younger I would use the brushes that came with products, such as those tiny rectangular shaped blush brushes & the foam eyeshadow applicators, thank god I got sucked into the world of beauty blogging & discovered new tools to apply my makeup with!

Powder Brush: Currently I don't actually use this brush for powder but instead to apply & blend bronzer. I think it's a great brush for being able to sweep bronzer around your face without going overboard & ending up looking like you have a muddy face!

Blush Brush: At first I didn't believe that would make a very good blusher brush due to it's size but it actually works really well. I used to apply blush with a much smaller brush but after using this one I prefer that the colour is more evenly applied on the apples of my cheek. Rather than having a block of blush it helps the product look more natural on my cheeks.

Expert Face Brush: This is my favourite base brush ever. I used to love the buffing brush & whilst I still do love it I much prefer the Expert Face brush. I don't really know why I love it more, as they are really quite similar but I feel like my foundation looks better when I apply it with this one. I guess the circular shaped head helps to buff the foundation into areas such as my nose & hairline.

Pixel-Point Eyeliner Brush: This thin little brush is super handy for adding gel liner to my tight line or above my lashes & also for adding eyeshadow under my bottom lashes to create a smokey eye look. It's the perfect size for completing these makeup tasks & I'd be lost without it now.

Contour Brush: I use this brush to define my cheekbones before blending the product out with the powder brush. It's a good size for making sure I apply the right amount of product. It's also a good brush to use when concealing under my eyes.

I also have a few other brushes that I use everyday but these are the most loved out of my collection. I'm going to be sharing two of my favourite eye makeup brushes very soon though so watch out for that! (:

I don't have much to say today! I've had a really nice week with Tilly pug, getting organised with the flat/preparing for the move & organising my blog. I'm really really enjoying blogging at the moment, I finally feel proud of what I publish! I've got a new design coming within the next few days & I've so much inspiration for posts I've got a list as long as my arm!

I admit defeat. I can honestly say I really admire fashion bloggers who stand in front of their camera everyday & manage to take good quality photos that they are happy with. I dunno how you do it guys! I absolutely love sharing outfits on my blog, I always get a good response & it breaks it up from just having a constant stream of beauty posts. However I really suck at outfit photos & I can't pose at all!! Practice makes perfect hmm... we shall see haha! I don't actually want to give up completely but I think it is time to invest in a better camera & a tripod, unless anyone has any tips? I currently balance my old compact camera on top of a stack of boxes on my sofa & run back & forward to put it on self timer... not ideal!

Anyway, onto the outfit! I'm wearing a Topshop Breton Stripe top which is actually meant to be a dress but it shrunk by a ridiculous amount so now it has to be worn with leggings, which I'm really gutted about but I still love it. My denim jacket is also from Topshop, I originally wanted a Levis but opted for this instead as I really liked the fit on me & the shearling inside it. Even though it's summer it's hardly ever THAT warm in the UK so I don't really mind the shearling & I always feel the cold anyway so extra layers are always good. My shoes are brown loafers from good old Primark, they're actually surprisingly comfy considering how cheap they are. They are looking a little worse for wear now but I have worn them loads! I always tend to wear this outfit when I'm going shopping or for a day out as it's super comfy & casual. Finally, an outfit post wouldn't be an outfit post from me without Tilly pug gatecrashing & having a little pose too. She's wearing a floral pink harness from eBay aha.

Over the past year or so I've been making a real effort with my skincare routine & have slowly but surely built up a collection of products that I trust to look after my skin. I've learnt to ditch the makeup wipes & introduce products that will cleanse, nourish & generally take care of my skin. Obviously I'm not a skincare expert & this routine is just what I have found works for me. Although skincare is different for each & everyone of us I love a good nosey into other beauty bloggers skincare regime, so here is mine...

Cleansing: To start with I remove the bulk of my makeup with Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water soaked onto a couple of cotton pads. If I'm wearing heavy eye makeup I will also use Johnson's Gentle Eye Makeup Removal Pads, I love how gentle they are around my eye area. I then move on to use Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish to ensure I've removed my makeup completely & got rid of any dirt etc! I rub it all over my face in circular motions & then wipe it off with a warm flannel or muslin cloth. After this I splash my face with cold water & pat it dry with a towel.

Moisturising: I've been all about achieving healthy glowing skin at the moment, I was fed up of having a tired & dull looking complexion so I routed through my beauty stash to see if I had any products that could help improve it. I've been massaging the Balance Me Radiance Face Oil into my skin each morning & evening to add moisture which plumps up my skin for a more radiant & healthy looking glow. I then add the Balance Me Natural Protection Moisturiser for added moisture & also protection as it contains SPF25.

Treatments: In the mornings I tend to have quite puffy eyes, probably due to lack of good quality sleep & not drinking enough water each day! To try & counteract this problem I use the Liz Earle Eyebright Soothing Eye Lotion to freshen up my eye area & reduce the puffiness. If I am having a proper pamper evening I soak a cotton pad with it & leave them over my eyes for 10-15 minutes whilst I relax, it's such a nice treat & my eye area feels so soothed afterwards! Another treatment I tend to reach for quite regularly is the Origins Super Spot Remover. I often suffer with horrible under the skin spots which can be quite painful & take ages to disappear so when I can tell one is about to erupt on my face I make sure I dab a blob of this gel over it & leave it on whilst I sleep. In the morning the skin in that area is quite dry but it helps to reduce redness & heals it quicker than if I didn't use anything on it at all.

These are the products I use virtually everyday, I will also use a mask once or twice a week but I'm planning a separate post on my top face masks so keep your eyes peeled for that!

Am I the only one who is forever losing rings? I seem to always be buying rings & misplacing them within a few weeks! I spotted the adorable Unicorn Jewellery holder on Gifts & Pieces, one of my fave home interiors site to browse & I can see it fitting right in with my other little trinket holders. I'm not even joking when I say I spend more on my dog than myself, little Tilly pug is one pampered pooch & I still want to spoil her even more. I'm after a pretty new lead & collar for her, although we don't walk her on a collar due to her having a fat neck #pugproblems, (she wears a harness instead) I still like her to have a collar on with an ID tag, just in case! The pink polka dot Cath Kidston ones are the cutest, Tilly suits wearing pink the most, I always think she looks weird in different colours now! I never really buy sunglasses as I struggle to find a pair that suits me, but whenever I do find a pair I can guarantee they'll be tortoiseshell. I dunno why but I always gravitate towards tort shades & these ones remind me of my dream pair of sunnies, the RayBan Clubmasters. The pastel blue top from Topshop is a perfect Spring/Summer tshirt, especially with the floral lace detailing, it would look lovely with some high waisted denim shorts! I don't think I need to say much about the Pixi Glow Tonic, it's raved about so much & I finally feel like I need to give into the hype & try it out for myself. When I'm next in London I will be popping into the Pixi store on Carnaby Street for sure! I have a thing for white at the moment & I've been hunting for the perfect pair of white shoes to wear on warmer days. Whilst I was on the hunt I also stumbled across the white satchel bag which I love love love & now really need in my life.

So, tonight I finally bought my little blog it's very own domain name! It's something I've had on my to-do list for a long time now & after a quick search tonight I realised it was actually possible to tick this off the list sooner than I thought. For some reason I thought buying a domain name would be expensive but it turned out to only be a few ££'s! The main reason I wanted to purchase loulabeth.co.uk was because I was fed up of having the 'x' before loulabeth on my blogspot URL. I'm fussy, I like things neat & tidy & it was getting on my nerves having that little x at the start! Weirdly I feel refreshed seeing the url at the top of the screen now, it's actually so so exciting haha.. I feel like I can properly focus on loulabeth now that it's officially got a proper URL!

Another month has gone by which means it's time for another monthly favourites post! This month I've decided to experiment with fake tan, something I never imagined myself doing...

I'm very pale but I actually quite like being pale & could never be bothered with the faff of applying fake tan, especially because knowing my luck I'd end up as a streaky orange mess! Anyway one evening I found a bottle of St. Moritz hiding at the back of my beauty drawer so I just kinda went for it & it actually turned out okay. I did think it was a bit too dark for my skin though & wanted to opt for something more gradual so I could get used to having a tan for once! This is when I came across Dove Summer Glow Nourishing Lotion & picked up a bottle from Tesco. I've been using this to give myself a nice little tan & I've really loved the results. It's quick to apply, literally just rub it all over like you would with a moisturiser, although take extra care round knees/elbows as it can cling to those areas a bit more so I've had muddy looking knees once or twice now, oops! It really does feel nourishing when it's applied but you do have to wait around 5 minutes for it to sink into your skin, I also love how it's easily available so I can get it whilst I'm doing my food shopping! Another supermarket buy is the Johnson's Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover Pads which I think are my absolute favourite eye makeup remover I've ever tried. The pads are really soft & I literally wipe them over my eye lids & they gently remove my eyeliner/eyeshadow/mascara. They don't drag like some removers do & they also don't leave excess product all over my eyelids afterwards, I hate that oily residue that some leave behind!

Soap & Glory's Smoothie Star range has got to be the best out of all the different scents they have, I love anything sweet & cocoa flavoured! The Smoothie Star Breakfast Scrub has been getting lots of use recently due to my new found love for fake tan. I love exfoliating anyway, it's the best feeling stepping out of the shower with freshly scrubbed skin thats ready to be moisturised/tanned, but I now make an extra effort to exfoliate to keep my fake tan looking fresh rather than a grubby/streaky mess. The scent of this scrub is so heavenly, I literally could eat it, if you love golden syrup then you'll love this!

Is anyone else obsessed with having white nails at the mo? I think I have Kate from Gh0stparties to blame for this new obsession of mine but recently I just haven't been loving any other colours on my nails! I think it looks kinda chic & really love how clean my nails look! I've been using Models Own Snow White, two coats & you're good to go with this one. I know some white polishes take quite a few coats to build up to a completely opaque finish but I ain't got time for that! I've been using L'Oreal Superliner Gel a lot recently, after initially not liking it I gave it a second chance & I now really like it. I don't use it much for creating cat flicks with but more to line my tight line with as it doesn't irritate my eyes & lasts really well. Even when my eyes water this liner stays in place better than normal kohl eyeliner which means I don't end up with panda eyes.

The Bourjois Java Rice Loose Powder has to have the prettiest makeup packaging ever, I love the colour & the retro design so much! I often struggle using powders as I find they make my skin look cakey or they are completely the wrong shade. I much prefer translucent powders & loose rather than pressed, although pressed powders are much more convenient. Even though this powder appears to be coloured it applies as a white illuminating powder to the skin. It's got a velvety soft texture & is the perfect finishing touch to my makeup base. The last product to feature in my May monthly favourites is the Revlon PhotoReady Primer. I use this with it's sister product, Revlon PhotoReady Foundation & together these two are the ultimate dream combination for my skin. The primer prepares my skin for the foundation to apply nicely & prolongs it's staying power for all day wear.